This Fading Moment: An Echo Of Us
by Subtle Shenanigans
Summary: Jayfeather gets to see Half Moon one last time as Jay's Wing. Saddish. Song/Poem is mine, warriors and all associated characters are Erin Hunter's. UNBETA'D (Eloquence #1)


**A/N: Randomness cause I can, and there's not enough Jay X Half Moon.**

 **I love the idea of Rock and Jay actually being friends, and I can see Briarlight and Jay becoming really good, maybe even, best friends.**

 **So, yeah. Random poem (OK, it's a s** _ **ong**_ **) at the end. Go bored XP. R & R please. Also, few OCs so I apologize, but nothing major. Oh, and the daughter he imagines is called Wolfsong (or Wolf Song, or Wolf that sings at dusk (Wolf)).**

 **Sacrifice (My TSS fic) should be updated around January. Hopefully.**

 **Enjoy.**

 _(The Scientist by Coldplay is a good song for this; so is the song used for the "Five Giants: Warriors MAP")_

* * *

 **This Fading Moment; An Echo Of Us - JayXHalf Moon**

 _Marigold for infection; Juniper for bellyache; yarrow for…_ Jayfeather, the blind gray tabby tom and Thunderclan's medicine cat, listed the herbs in his stocks. He was refreshing his memory, he told himself, and checking if his supplies were low. But really, he was trying to forget.

The great battle had been a lifetime ago, it had even been months since Bramblestar's announcement at the gathering. A new part of the code. But it felt like heartbeats ago at the same time; the clash of cats, and claws, and teeth. The rain of blood and hatred that showered them all. The death. But it wasn't just these things. Rock, Midnight, and The Ancients had been there. Half Moon, the first Stoneteller since the Ancients settled in the mountains. His best friend since before he was placed out of time, maybe even more…

He shook his head, trying angrily to dispel the thoughts. It hurt too much. Different destinies, different lives. Different times. They could never have been together, no matter how much they wished it.

Sometimes he could imagine them together; a walk around the lake, tails intertwined; a hunt in the mountains, him falling clumsily into a snow drift, and she meowing in laughter at his mishap. Sometimes he dreamt these things, and sometimes he imagined them when he was awake. He could see them curled together and watching a thick-furred gray she-kit with stoney colored eyes scampering around, with his wits and her kindness, their bravery shown in the assurance of her pawsteps, only to be whisked away as he woke up to the darkness that most would associate with dreamless sleep. It hurt him in a way that couldn't be healed with herbs or even time. It would always cling to him, the never-was.

So he busied himself, going over the stores endlessly, checking cats with ailments more than necessary; and if there were no injured cats, focused his attention on Briarlight. They had grown to a level that Jayfeather wasn't used to with anyone but Rock (although he vehemently denies it), his siblings, or the three (one was in both group); they were friends.

But even Briarlight got tired of his fussing, and had begun to notice something was bothering him. She had begun to asks questions. But Jayfeather didn't feel he could tell her about Half Moon, at least not yet. And if he told her, he at least has to tell Lionblaze also. His brother would want to know.

So he told her he was fine, and most of the time he was. He called Warriors 'kits', messed around with his brother the rare times they were together, argued with Yellowfang at the moonpool, and as grumpy as Mousefur had been.

But those moments that hadn't happen and that shouldn't have clung to him like cobwebs to his fur.

And lately, something new had happened.

He had strange dreams, where he was back in the mountains but could barely breath, the smell of sickness so strong it was like it was coming from himself. Every movement, every breath, even thought was a struggle. It haunted him with a sense of foreboding. Was someone in the clan going to get sick? Was _he?_ Was Crag - the Tribe's latest Healer called Stoneteller - losing a life?

He couldn't figure it out, and it drove him crazy. He had been on edge for two moons over the matter. Eventually, Briarlight suggested he take a walk to clear his head, especially if he wasn't going to tell _her_ anything. He popped in on Ashkit and Moonkit, Lionblaze and Cinderheart's first litter, before leaving. Relieved that they were fine, he went out into the woods.

It was cool and crisp; Leaf-fall had come. He padded through the woods, a hop in his step. Even blind he knew the territory as well as any Warrior of Thunderclan. His heart started to feel lighter, lighter than it had been for a long time.

He heard patrols but avoided them. He needed the alone time. He wasn't plagued by dreams or questions; it was only him, the well-known woods, and his sharp senses.

It was those same, sharp senses that detected the scent. He knew it; stone and cold and loneliness. "Rock?" he meowed.

His vision shimmered into view, as the grotesque cat dipped his head. "Jayfeather."

"What are you doing here?" He tried to keep anger out of his voice, he really did. He was still hurt that Rock had kept all those secrets, even if he understood now. Jayfeather was a cat to hold a grudge when it was personal.

"What? Not happy to see me? I thought you said we were _friends._ " Jayfeather bristled at that. Was he making _fun_ of him?

"I thought you said you had _no_ friends." He spat.

Rock gave a dry, choking laugh. "True; Lighten up Jayfeather. You'll need too - I bring good news and bad news."

"Don't you always?" Jayfeather grumbled, jay-blue eyes narrowing.

Blind eyes met blind eyes. A pair of grotesque eggs and brilliant blue. Rock looked away and sighed.

"I'm taking you back, but only for a moment." Jayfeather tilted his head, puzzled. Rock was behaving ... _oddly_ , which was strange in itself, since he was such an odd cat. Then he understood.

"You're...You're taking me _back_?"

The ugly creature merely looked at him, continuing, "There's a cat who needs your help. It is -"

"No!" He spat, and Rock actually looked surprise for a moment. "I'm sick of going for _your_ gain! It's not fair! I don't _want_ to 'go back' this time!"

Silenced reigned as they stood there, Rock calm as a rock, and Jayfeather bristling more than an agitated hedgehog. Jayfeather's face was pulled into a silent snarl, his clouded blue eyes gleaming angrily. What Rock said next stunned him, though'

"I'm not doing it for me." His voice was oddly quiet, almost a whisper. "Half Moon is sick and old - your little she-cat is dying. I thought you'd want to be there for her as she passes. A sense of comfort."

Silence again.

Eventually, now calm, Jayfeather said, "Sorry. And...Thanks."

Rock only replied, "So you will go." More of a puzzled statement than a question. Jayfeather nodded.

The Ancient of ancients stood up and motioned for Jayfeather to follow. As he padded after them, the landscape changed, blurring oddly as they walked past. Eventually the padded down a tunnel (Jayfeather suspected it was one of _the_ tunnels in Thunderclan) and into a cave that Jayfeather recognized immediately. The Cave of the Pointed stones.

They made their way through the forest of stones, to an area where two cats stood over another one. One was an old Golden-colored tabby who Jayfeather recognized as Lion's Roar - the ancient counterpart of his brother, Lionblaze. The other was a younger cat; a to-be by the look of it. His slim build suggested a prey-hunter.

He stopped dead when he saw her curled up on a nest of feathers; her white pelt was ruffled and unkempt, hanging on her gaunt frame. Her eyes gleamed fiercely though, the fiery spirit in her refusing to be burnt out. When she saw him though, they widened in wonder.

Lion's Roar was still speaking to the to-be, unaware of Half Moon's change. He meowed, "...we need to find a way to feed her; this vomiting-sickness isn't letting up, and she's starving at this rate. She -"

He broke off as Half Moon feebly mewed, "Jay's Wing!" like a prayer.

The large tom turned, shocked to see him there. It dimly flickered in his mind that his not-yet-brother could see him. What really shocked him was how _old_ he looked; it was like glimpsing into a not-yet-future by seeing and a moment-long-past; it was surreal. He shivered.

He gazed back at the she-cat, then padded over to her, his whiskers brushing hers. Underneath all the sickness her could smell her scent, the cat he had loved. _Still_ loved.

"Jay's Wing…" she breathed again.

"My dear Half Moon," he replied breathlessly. He had never thought he would see her again, nor this way. It was wonderful and awful at the sametime, like bittersweet Leaf-fall being the bridge between wonderful Green-leaf and aching Leaf-bare.

"I had a feeling you needed me," he said, filling the silence. The to-be and Lion's Roar had faded into the background, and Rock could be anywhere, here unseen or gone. He only saw Half Moon, his poor, frail Half Moon, ravaged by sickness and years of leadership. How hard their time apart had been on her. He only hoped he could make it up in these moments, where they were together again.

"My love," she purred, trying to stretch her muzzle up to brush his. He quickly leaned forward, not wanting her to strain herself. His purr matched hers, love and distance and loneliness and togetherness. He could feel her fading, though, like so many moments before. Rock had brought him just in time.

He curled himself around her, and licked the top of her head soothingly. He vaguely wondered how he appeared to the others. A star-flecked cat? Something faded and out of time? Or all too bright, here yet not?

"Half Moon," he purred between licks. "Oh, Half Moon. It's been so long. I'm sorry."

"For what?" she breathed, sounding tired.

"That I couldn't stay, or couldn't come more often. That I left you here, with so much responsibility and so little else."

"You did what you had to do." She turned and blinked her green eyes at him. He saw no anger, or reproach; only the crackling lightning he had felt between them so long ago, when he was made a Sharpclaw. "And I wasn't without nothing. Lion's Roar has been a great help, and Dove's Wing before her passing. I have sent some cats away, and young Gray Wing is doing great things from what I've dreamt. I regret nothing, only that we didn't have more time. Like I said before…" she trailed off, eyes drooping shut.

"Half Moon? Half Moon!" he meowed in alarm, licking her fur to wake her up. "Half Moon!"

"I'm sorry," Lion's Roar meowed, startling Jayfeather. "She's gone. I'm glad you were here though, and that I got to meet you. You made her passing easier."

Jayfeather stood up, gazing forlornly at her body. "Yeah," he mewed finally. "I'm glad I saw her again. At least I know she'll be in the Tribe Of Endless Hunting. I've seen her there before; well, later." He looked into Lion's Roar's amber eyes, and the golden tom knew without a doubt that he was telling the truth. He dipped his head, "Farewell, Jay's Wing. I expect you're going to go back to wherever you came from."

The gray tabby looked ancient, standing there with his fur ruffled and his eyes clouded with grief rather than blindness. "Yeah," he muttered. He glanced at her one more time, then turned back to him. "Bury her in here somewhere, where the ground is soft, would you? She liked this place; called it a 'stone forest'."

"Of course, Jay's Wing." Lion's Roar dipped his head. They watched as Jay's Wing padded away, then he turned back suddenly, asking, "Are you the next Teller of the pointed Stones?"

The young tom nodded, his sleek black fur shining in the moonlight that spilled through the roof. It was a half-moon, ironically enough. "I am Raven Swoop. Stoneteller's been training me for quite a few moons."

Jay's Wing nodded. "I wish you well; it's a hard task for such a young cat. Farewell." Then he padded away, not a single pawprint on the sandy floor.

They barely saw a cat - _if_ it could be called a cat - motion for the other cat to follow him. They heard his voice echo, "Let's go, Jayfeather."

As Rock lead him away onto the ledge beyond the waterfall, where dawn was slowly dispelling the stars, he felt a warm wind wind brush his pelt, and heard a voice murmur, " _I'll wait for you forever, Jay's Wing. I promise."_

And he knew it would always be true.

 _We're fading away, spiraling closer,_

 _our moments are passing, too fast._

 _We grab for each other,_

 _but our hands just barely brush past._

(V2):

 _I wait for you here,_

 _as you wait for me,_

 _I wish we were closer but it never will be._

(V3):

 _And I wish the same,_

 _though I know we can't reach_

 _and make this dream a reality._

(C):

' _Cause we're fading away, spiraling closer,_

 _our moments are passing too fast,_

 _we grab for each other,_

 _but our hands just barely brush past._

(Hook):

 _Our love for each other is stronger than stone,_

 _but we're forced away, and now we're alone._

(C x2):

 _We're fading away, spiraling closer,_

 _our moments are passing, too fast._

 _We grab for each other,_

 _but our hands just barely brush past._

' _Cause we're fading away, spiraling closer,_

 _our moments are passing too fast,_

 _we grab for each other,_

 _but our hands just barely brush past._


End file.
